For Paige Kogelman, fate appeared to be in the mix.

Hearing some scuttlebutt about the head softball coach opening at Catasauqua, Kogelman had a chance meeting with Roughies’ athletic director Tom Moll.

From there, the 2013 Catty graduate and former softball standout knew she would be headed back to help the Brown and White.

“I heard about the opening for a while,” said Kogelman. “I knew there still was a need for a head coach. I ran into [Tom] Moll and we started talking about it.

“We both thought it would be a good fit, and I am excited to take over the program.”

Kogelman will be taking over for longtime head coach Bobby Thomas, who had a 10-year stay with the Roughies and earlier resigned to accept a college position.

She is two years removed from her graduation from West Chester University, where she played softball her freshman year before a shoulder injury ended her career.

Kogelman was an integral part of the Roughies’ run in which they won a Colonial League title during her playing days. It was Catty’s first league crown in 32 years, dating back to 1981.

She will undertake a program that has fallen on hard times recently, winning just two games in each of its last two seasons and also has dwindling overall numbers.

Kogelman, who has worked camps and clinics in the past, will step into a head coaching position for the first time.

She realizes it won’t be an overnight success.

“I have never been a head coach before,” she said. “I have worked with kids of all ages when I was at West Chester and have done so around Catty. I have volunteered as a coach, but this is a new move for me.

“I have been talking to a number of people about it. But I plan to take one step at a time and move on from there.”

Her father, Kip, who has been involved with softball in the area, will be her assistant coach, and former Catty teammate Jordan Dardis will direct the junior high program.

Kogelman is optimistic about a good beginning, as she has 25 girls signed up for the high school program, and 30 for the junior high.

With relatively good numbers, Kogelman isn’t overly concerned with the number of wins and losses in her first year.

“Our numbers are good and that helps,” she said. “We have to start with the basics and help form a foundation.

“We’re looking at having the girls gain some confidence in their abilities. There isn’t the same type of program here as there was in the past.

“We have to start from scratch. It will be good to see what happens with intramurals and then see what happens.”